Despite his apparent combat power matching his opponent's, Azrael remained on high alert.
He possessed one insurmountable disadvantage compared to Hanzu: his Sacred Blade Armor was merely an Emerald-tier card. Even in his copycat Flying Dragon Arthur form, he couldn't withstand a siege from Diamond-tier cards for long. To be more precise, he couldn't withstand much at all.
With this realization, Azrael made his decision.
"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."
The sudden coldness in his voice made Hanzu shudder.
Honestly, everything that had transpired had already left the assassin feeling irritated, fearing his opponent would unleash yet another card to surge in power.
But after the crisp sound of shattering glass echoed through the air, nothing happened.
Hanzu's expression shifted, his tone turning strange. "Hypnosis? Illusion?"
"Interesting! You dare display such parlor tricks before me?"
He grinned mockingly.
After all, one of his most skilled tactics involved precisely this kind of manipulative play, otherwise, he wouldn't have convinced those ordinary people to willingly participate in his twisted games.
Seeing this reaction, Azrael's heart sank. 'Kyōka Suigetsu failed to interfere?'
He couldn't help but think so. After all, compared to the truly exceptional combat power of Ulquiorra and Nel, Aizen currently played more of a supporting role, his raw strength merely that of a standard Emerald-grade red card.
It was only natural that Kyōka Suigetsu didn't perform as expected, especially since Hanzu's words clearly revealed his mastery of such techniques.
Then, as Azrael watched, a beam of dark light intertwined with blazing white light shot toward him.
The direction was correct, but the location was slightly off.
Glancing at the fresh gully that had just appeared nearby, Azrael couldn't help but curl his lips. "All that big talk, I thought you had some real power."
Realizing his card's attack had missed its mark, Hanzu froze, subconsciously glancing at the two figures beside him, one black and one white.
Seeing them nod slightly, his expression fell. "I didn't expect you were a master of this art as well. I underestimated you."
Azrael felt no joy at his words.
He understood the truth, Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu had actually camouflaged his position in the exact opposite location. It was a small help, but not substantial enough.
Azrael sighed softly. "Still have to be careful."
He surveyed the four cards surrounding Hanzu, contemplating their origins.
"The bronze-headed Thunder God, the half-human, half-snake Shinigami..."
'Why do they feel familiar?'
"And Darkness and Light..."
At that thought, two familiar names suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Belobog and Chernobog?"
"Slavic mythology?"
Azrael was familiar with these two names entirely because they appeared in a famous game before his transmigration. When he'd arrived in this world and browsed through the relevant mythological texts, he'd noticed the familiar names and taken note of their origins.
"White God and Black God."
"Too bad I don't have anyone from that universe to counter them."
Of course, Hanzu's cards couldn't possibly be characters from that game, according to the setting, there were plenty of characters capable of reaching Sovereign-level.
"The other two cards are Perun, the Thunder God, and Veles, the God of the Underworld."
As a mythology circulated in that frozen land, Slavic mythology wasn't widely known, and had even been later assimilated into Christianity. Few Lore Cardians would choose these mythological characters as their subjects.
However, niche culture had its advantages, it could be used to conceal one's identity.
An uninitiated person, upon first seeing Perun, would likely mistake him for Thor from Norse mythology. After all, they were both thunder gods, and both wielded an axe and hammer.
Just as Azrael determined the source of Hanzu's cards, the eerie-faced young man lost his patience.
He acknowledged the creature before him possessed some power, but dragging this out any longer would be disastrous. He didn't want to retreat to Beijing in disgrace, bearing the humiliation of a failed Diamond-level assassination attempt on an Emerald-level target.
But before he could act, a pale green spirit spear flew toward him.
Hanzu remained expressionless, sensing the terrifying energy contained within the slender spear.
BOOM!
Before the Thunder Spear could reach him, it was struck by a massive pillar of lightning that descended from the sky.
The resulting explosion instantly unleashed a powerful gust of wind, rustling the surrounding trees with violent intensity.
Azrael hadn't expected this attack to injure his enemy, Ulquiorra's actions were merely meant to create a larger commotion, drawing the attention of nearby cities.
'If the imperial court doesn't want to reveal their identities just yet, they definitely won't stop the Association from sending Lore Cardians to investigate.'
By then, Azrael's predicament would be resolved.
Of course, he wouldn't foolishly stand there and wait for his opponent to attack. The moment Ulquiorra's Thunder Spear launched, Azrael had already retreated to a distant location under Aizen's cover.
The energy explosion from the Thunder Spear gradually dissipated, revealing Hanzu's gloomy face.
He undoubtedly sensed Azrael's intentions.
"Since we can't pinpoint his exact location, I'll destroy everything around us!"
A murderous gleam flashed in his eyes.
The range of a Diamond-level attack at full power could only be described as terrifying.
At that moment, dense bolts of lightning spread from Hanzu's position, interspersed with countless flashes of black and white light.
Like a terrestrial dragon turning over, the earth began to churn like plasticine.
Azrael glanced back at the horrifying scene behind him and couldn't help but curse inwardly. 'Madman.'
Such a commotion would surely not go unnoticed by the surrounding cities, but Hanzu seemed entirely unfazed.
At that moment, a sword force engulfed in brilliant flames suddenly rose up, severing the attack launched by Hanzu's cards.
It was Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
He exhaled lightly, a stream of searing flames surging through his nostrils as a massive golden-red sun slowly rotated behind him.
Seeing this, Hanzu wasn't surprised but delighted, no longer fearing the opponent wouldn't fight back. "I've got you!"
He was absolutely right, the swordsman was heading in the direction of his target!
At this realization, his face grew excited, even contorted with anticipation.
In the space of a breath, the previously scattered attacks converged.
Watching the chaotic energy attack bearing down on him, Yoriichi clenched his flaming sword slightly.
The next moment, golden-red flames erupted from his blade, raising the temperature of the surrounding air dramatically.
However, this was merely the appetizer.
SWISH,
With a wave of his sword, formidable sword pressure was unleashed.
And not just one, multiple waves of devastating force.
The sword pressure, emitting a shrill whistle, instantly collided with Hanzu's card attack.
The expected explosion didn't occur. Instead, the chaotic energy attack was sliced through like a hot blade through butter.
Hanzu's pupils shrank at this sight. "What?!"
Before he could even process what happened, a piercing sense of threat struck from his side.
Turning, he saw a double-headed lance swirling with crimson spiritual energy approaching from his right.
Simultaneously, a demonic figure extended its spear from the left.
It was Ulquiorra and Nel. After Yoriichi had diverted Hanzu's attack, they'd closed the distance to the eerie assassin.
Faced with attacks directed at their holder, Hanzu's cards instinctively paused their offensive movements and turned to block the two Espada.
THUD,
Ulquiorra and Nel flew backwards at an even faster speed than their approach.
However, their original purpose had been to provide cover for Azrael's other card.
"Bankai: Minazuki."
An emotionless female voice echoed in Hanzu's ears, causing his hair to stand on end.
Looking closely, he saw a black-haired woman dressed identically to the male swordsman, regarding him with cold indifference.
"Again?!" Hanzu's composure immediately shattered. "Those old men's intelligence is ridiculously off!"
"Is that creature truly Emerald-level?!"
From what he could sense, three of his opponent's cards were already Diamond-level in power.
The demon, the antelope, and the male swordsman in the haori.
If that were all, he remained confident he could defeat them. But if another pseudo-Diamond-level card appeared, he'd seriously need to consider retreating.
After all, the battle hadn't lasted long, but it wasn't short either. The Cardian Master Association had undoubtedly already sent someone to gather intelligence.
"Tsk."
He pursed his lips in annoyance and prepared to order his cards to attack with overwhelming force.
Before he could issue the command, Hanzu saw endless blood gushing from the long sword in the black-haired woman's hand.
After a moment of disorientation, he regained consciousness to find himself trapped in a world made entirely of blood.
Opposite him stood the impassive, dark-haired woman.
"Her combat power has increased, but not dramatically."
"Just to trap me?"
Hanzu thought silently, sensing her presence.
With this assessment, he forced himself to calm his slightly agitated state. "I have to deal with her quickly, or I really won't be able to escape."
However, he didn't know that Minazuki required the death of one party to dissolve, nor did he realize that Unohana Retsu's move wasn't simply to trap him.
Unconsciously, the dynamic between Azrael and Hanzu had shifted.
Now it wasn't a question of whether the assassination would succeed, but whether the assassin could escape unscathed.
No one had anticipated this reversal. Had they known Azrael's true combat power, those old men would never have been so reckless in allowing Hanzu to attempt this assassination.
Outside the blood-soaked dimension, Azrael paused as he watched Hanzu being dragged into Minazuki by Unohana.
Looking at the four cards engaged in fierce battle with Yoriichi and his three companions in the distance, he silently nodded to Artoria beside him.
Seeing this signal, the blonde girl clutching her holy sword stepped forward.
The plan was simple, Azrael wanted to replicate a plot from Fate/Zero. When Unohana Retsu used her Bankai to control Hanzu, he would have Artoria release the holy sword's restraints.
This would address the Round Table's biggest limitation against high-level enemies.
"Thirteen restraints released. The Round Table meeting begins."
"This battle is a battle for survival." "Approved, Kai."
"This battle is a battle against those stronger than oneself." "Approved, Bedivere."
"This battle is not a battle against humanity." "Approved, Gareth."
"This battle is not a battle against the elves." "Approved, Lancelot."
"This battle is a battle against evil." "Approved, Mordred."
"This battle is not a battle for selfish desires." "Approved, Galahad."
"This battle is not a battle for glory." "Approved, Gawain."
Hearing that seven restraints had been swiftly cleared, Azrael couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. 'It seems the man across from me is indeed a heinous criminal.'
He'd initially thought he could only remove five or six restraints at most, after all, not all had been removed when facing the Fallen Cult members before.
Meanwhile, the battle within Minazuki was nearing its end.
Unohana Retsu lacked the bonus of Soul's Resting Place. Ultimately, she was just an Emerald-grade red card, so the fact that she'd successfully dragged Hanzu into her Bankai was already a pleasant surprise.
Watching the card slowly dissipate before him, Hanzu breathed a sigh of relief. "This should allow me to escape, right?"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, he received a warning from his own cards.
The next moment, before he could fully process the alert, he realized he'd returned to his original position.
However, as he emerged, he heard a faint, distant cry.
"Excalibur!"
Turning sharply, Hanzu saw an overwhelming golden torrent bearing down on him, the crushing pressure numbing his entire body.
"Shit!"
He shuddered, instinctively uttering a curse before being engulfed by the beam of light.
Seeing the holy sword with all its restraints released striking its target perfectly, Azrael's mood suddenly brightened. "In this case, even if he doesn't die, he'll be crippled."
He didn't believe Hanzu could emerge completely unscathed from this attack. After all, even Ruth had lost her human form after taking it head-on.
The opponent was a genuine Diamond-level demon, while Hanzu was a relatively fragile Lore Cardian.
After a while, the golden torrent gradually dissipated, revealing scorched earth.
Glancing at the several hills that had vanished in the distance, Azrael, as the instigator, couldn't help but frown slightly. "Not dead?"
That's right, in his perception, Hanzu wasn't dead, though the four cards he'd summoned earlier had disappeared.
"Don't kill me!"
Just as Azrael was about to order Nel to finish him off, a terrified shout suddenly came from Hanzu's location.
"I'm still useful!"
"Don't kill me!"
"Please!"
"I'll do anything!"
His only response was an emotionless double-headed lance piercing through the air toward him.